Energy conversation continues to be a national priority of the United States as well as the rest of the world.
The number one light fixture used within commercial construction is a fluorescent light tube troffer fixture. There are thousands of these fluorescent light tube fixtures within schools, homes, retails stores, hospitals, and offices for example. Although fluorescent light tubes are recognized for numerous advantages relative to incandescent light sources, these tubes still leave room for improvement for various reasons. For example, care must be taken to dispose of the fluorescent light tubes to avoid releasing the mercury within the tube into the environment. other solid state lighting. In comparison, conventional LED lighting tubes provided lower energy consumption and markedly longer life. Further, LED technology was more environmentally friendly given a reduction of waste, and more importantly, given the absence of mercury in the LED tube.
The typical LED replacement light tube was invented to replace a fluorescent light tube within an existing fluorescent fixture. The design and operation of these LED replacement light tube is based on retrofitting the LED light tube to operate from AC current. Another common aspect of the LED light tube for replacing of fluorescent light tubes is they consist of a transparent tube, with LEDs mounted onto a circuit board inside the tube and operated by AC power. The assembly of a typical LED light tube incorporates both the LEDs and circuitry within one tube. Located at each end of the LED replacement light tube are end caps, each end cap is comprised of a pair of extended prongs and means to receive AC power from sockets located at both ends of the fluorescent light tube fixture.
Architects have always used lighting as a means to enhance the architectural features of their buildings. One area of design architects have made it a practice to incorporate within their design is indirect lighting. Hospitals, churches, and offices are just a few examples of buildings that feature some form of indirect lighting. The single tube fluorescent fixture installed end to end is one way architects provide indirect lighting. When using an LED light tube as a light source for indirect lighting, a fixture containing sockets at both ends would be an improvement to operate one LED light tube. A normal project featuring indirect lighting could require 10 or more LED light tubes (installed within a fixture) and lined end to end. Using this type of LED light assembly would apparently be very costly. It is the primary objective of the present invention to overcome this costly type of light assembly. A better light assembly is needed for indirect lighting that would allow LED light tubes to be lined end to end without the required to two socket fixture.
Finding a more cost effective way to use LEDs within a light tube as a light source for indirectly lighting within a space or room is one of the objective of this present invention. Finding a socket assembly that can be used with LED light tubes and be incorporated within a strip fixture or troffer would be another objective of the present invention.